The Ultimate Guide to Getting Started in Model United Nations
The memory of one’s first Model United Nations (MUN) conference is an inalienable presence. Ask any Secretary-General, award recipient, committee chair, and MUNer. They can tell you – without significant difficulties – precisely what their first MUN experience was like. The moment they lowered their placard as they stood up to take the floor for the first time will remain etched in their memories, regardless of how experienced they have become since then. But what newer deleg
Mastering Model UN Research Skills
Embarking on research assignments for a Model United Nations (MUN) conference can be an incredibly daunting task. Granted, understanding the background, current stance and prospects of a UN Member State is nothing short of complex. Adding the multifaceted global issues delegates find solutions for in MUN to the above mix, it is safe to say that research can inspire a plethora of attitudes on delegates (discouragement and intimidation included). In response to such feelings, w
Mastering Model UN Debate
Ask any delegate about the skills that they would like to improve through Model United Nations (MUN) and, chances are, most would mention “debating skills.” But before we go into detail on how to master the art of debate, let us begin by asking ourselves the following question, what is debating? Debating is the skill developed when two (or more) parties orally engage with each other’s ideas, arguments, and policies on a particular issue, aiming to convince others to favor the
Preparing for Negotiations in the Model UN Committee Room
It is as hard to master the arts of public speaking and debating, as it is to master the subtleties of negotiation. To the mere observer, a Model United Nations (MUN) delegate who excels at public speaking can steal the show, but both chairs and delegates know that it is negotiations where MUN’s most significant challenges lie. In fact, during committee negotiations, even the most experienced MUNers will find it difficult to meet their country’s interests, precisely as planne
Public Speaking - Conquering the Stage Fright Monster
Standing in a committee room cramped with delegates staring at you and somehow your peripheral vision keeps getting narrower, your voice shakes, your palms get sweaty, and your thoughts begin to scatter as you try to remember the exact words of the speech that is supposed to mesmerize the UN’s Secretary-General. It is almost as if you were in an out-of-body experience watching down on yourself from the deepest corners of your worst nightmare. Well, that might be a bit extreme
Taking on specialized committees - for delegates
Model United Nations started as a simulation of the United Nations only. Originally, it included mainly General Assembly Committees and other main organs of the Organization. Over the course of years, and as the needs of the global community expanded, conferences decided to expand their spectrum of committees not only for academic but for marketing reasons as well. And this is how specialized committees came to life. To simplify, I have divided them into actual and fictional
How to be a Great Head Delegate, and Not Die Trying!
So, you’ve been entrusted with the position of: Head Delegate of an MUN Travel Team. Congratulations! Now what? While the position of Head Delegate is a huge a privilege, it also entails an array of responsibilities that can grow or shrink depending on your delegations characteristics, or the Model UN conference you are attending. Although many conferences provide specific information on the responsibilities of the Head Delegate in each event, here we have collected a series
The Advantages of Mock Sessions in Model United Nations
If you have recently seen an invitation to an MUN mock session but were afraid to go because it sounded too much like an actual conference, or if you were even wondering what such a mock session actually was, this is the article you need to read tonight! In the European circuit, more and more MUN societies choose mock sessions either to prepare or introduce an annual conference, or to train their delegates for upcoming participation at other events. These sessions are not onl
Five Steps to Success in a Special Committee at a Model UN Conference
Preparing for special committees and concepts like crisis (especially joint-committee crisis) or the recently newly tested “Presidential Summit” (look up Heidelberg Model United Nations!) can be tricky and sometimes even scary, since the regular topic-research and position paper writing will only be enough for about the first ten minutes of the very first session of the conference. After that, events will start to rain down on you and it is so easy to lose ground in-crisis! S
